On a cold October evening, the women’s soccer team fought hard for a 1-1 draw against the Air Force Academy, which saw them retain the City for Champions Cup. The match, which took place at Weidner Field on Oct. 30, home to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks, set a Cup attendance record with 1,521 fans.
Despite the cold, the Tigers got off to a hot start, piling pressure on the Air Force defense, earning multiple corners, and retaining possession for most of the opening minutes.
They eventually capitalized on one of those corners, with Charlotte Strabel ‘28 finding freshman midfielder Sophia Mayne, who darted across the front post to convert a glancing header past the keeper, opening the scoring in the 20th minute.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Air Force quickly got one back in the 26th minute via a through ball that was tucked away by their striker.
The Tigers continued to put the Falcons under pressure in the latter stages of the second half, keeping their goalkeeper busy with several shots that came close to finding the back of the net. Despite their attack, the game headed into halftime tied at one apiece.
Both teams continued to trade chances throughout the second half, with neither able to break through. Goalkeeper Regan Wallace ‘27 came up with game-saving one vs. one saves in the 79th and 84th minutes to keep the score level.
The game would finish the same way it started the second half, meaning that the women’s soccer team will keep hold of the City for Champions Cup for another year. It would also mark the end of the Tigers’ season, with the team missing the Mountain West Conference tournament by five points.
The Tigers, who will lose four seniors, will now head into the offseason looking to build upon the success and experience gained this year. They return key players such as top scorers Kendall Memoly ‘27 and Finley Schoenbeck ‘28, who combined for 10 goals and four assists this year.
Despite missing the conference tournament, head coach Keri Sanchez spoke about the optimism she and the team are feeling as they look towards a new year. “I think our team now has the belief we can compete with anybody,” she said in a post-match interview. “We’re really excited to take that forward for the coming season.”